Ban winter rodents from your home

Fall is near. Leaves are turning colors. Squirrels are storing nuts, and mice and rats are looking for the best way to get into your home for the winter. A University of Georgia wildlife expert says your home doesn’t have to become a rodent resort.

“Mice and rats can enter your house through openings as small as a dime,” said Michael Mengak, a UGA Cooperative Extension specialist with the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. “Closing their entry holes is one of the most effective ways to prevent mice and rats from becoming a pest in your home."

Most important, get rid of any places where mice and rats can hide and reproduce. Remove trash, old boards, weeds, brush piles, rock piles, firewood and other junk from your home, garage and property, Mengak said.

Keep garbage in tightly covered cans. Feed dogs and cats from dishes, and take up uneaten food. Use squirrel guards to deter rats and mice from feeding from bird feeders. Don’t pile wood against the house, and store firewood at least a foot off the ground.

Make sure patio and garage doors stay closed, seal openings under doors, and cover windows with one-quarter-inch mesh wire screen, he said.

Cement or caulk around pipes (gas, water, hose or air conditioning drains) and wires (phone, cable and TV). Cover clothes dryer vents, but allow for adequate airflow. Clean them regularly to remove lint that could be a fire hazard.

Seal small holes and cracks by stuffing them with steel wool and caulking over them.

Why is it so important to keep the rodents at bay? Rats and mice can carry fleas and ticks and transmit bacteria and diseases. They can spoil food, too, and eat crops, stored grains, birdseed and pet food.

“Rats and mice have poor eyesight but excellent senses of smell, taste and touch,” Mengak said. “They usually hide during the day and come out at night. If you see one, you can be sure there are many more you haven’t seen.”

Three species like to live indoors, and all three can be found in Georgia. They are the house mouse, the Norway rat and the roof rat.

House mice are three inches long, not including the tail, which doesn’t have fur.

Rats are much larger and can be up to a foot long, not including the tail.

Norway rats are also called brown rats, house rats, barn rats, sewer rats, gray rats or wharf rats. They are heavy bodied and weigh more than a pound. Their ears do not reach past their eyes. Their fur is usually brown or reddish gray, and they are not good climbers.

Roof rats, also known as black or ship rats, are sleek with ears that extend past their eyes. They weigh between 5 ounces and 10 ounces. Their fur can be brown or black. They are good climbers.

For more information on rats and mice, visit the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ publication, “Rats and Mice: Get Them Out of Your House and Yard,” at pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/C970/C970.html.

Sharon Dowdy
University of Georgia

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Food preservation doesn’t save money for everyone

There are many reasons for preserving food at home. Some have to do with satisfaction, creativity or family tradition. Another may be economical. The practice may save money for some, but doesn’t for everyone.

If you are going to try and save money by freezing or canning produce at home, find low-cost sources for the raw food. To determine if you can save money this way, compare the cost of similar foods purchased at the grocery store.

Food and equipment costs

Food costs -- whether home grown or purchased -- can be a variable expense, depending on your situation. The cost of additional ingredients can also vary widely. You may just need sugar or fruit juice for packing fruits in containers, or your recipe may include herbs, spices, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic or other ingredients.

The cost of equipment, such as a freezer or canner, can be significant if you are just starting out. Supplies such as packaging, funnels, jars and lids factor into the equation, too, as well as the energy of running stoves and freezers.

If you assign a monetary value for your time, the expense of producing preserved items at home can suddenly become significant.

Canning

The two most common forms of food preservation are canning and freezing. Many foods can also be dehydrated for longer-term storage.

Canning can be less expensive than freezing, but more time and energy are spent to prepare and process the foods. There are risks associated with canning foods. Specific preserving methods must be used to keep the food safe when stored at room temperatures. Food can spoil and make you sick if canning directions are not followed exactly.

One cost to consider when canning is jars, which cost $8 to $14 a dozen. Jars can be used for many years if handled carefully. If taken care of properly, ring bands should last for years also. The flat lids, however, need to be purchased every year.

Freezing

Freezing is a faster way to prepare food for long-term storage than canning or drying. Frozen produce, if carefully preserved, tastes fresher than food preserved using other methods.

It costs between 38 cents and 50 cents a year to maintain a freezer for one pound of food. In general, chest freezers are less expensive to run, but upright freezers can be more convenient. Better insulated freezers can cost more, but cost less to operate.

A well-managed freezer can save time, energy and gas from fewer trips to the store. To get the most out of your freezer, freeze only foods that the family likes to eat, and in amounts that can be served at one time.

When freezing foods, be sure to use proper packaging to protect flavor, color, moisture content and nutritional value from the dry conditions of the freezer.

Freezer containers should be moisture-vapor resistant, durable, leak proof, flexible, crack resistant and easy to seal and mark. Rigid plastic containers can be used for liquids. Freezer bags and wraps are more suitable for dry-pack products that contain little or no liquid.

Vacuum packaging is a great choice for maintaining food quality and is fairly easy to do. Just be sure to read the instructions on how to package wet and dry foods. Vacuum packaging removes the air that can lead to drying, oxidation and off-flavors, even at freezer temperatures.

Vacuum packaging does add additional expenses to home food preservation. The packaging is more expensive than other flexible bags and wraps, and of course, there is the initial cost for the appliance.

There are different preservation methods for many foods. Choose one that works for your family and produces the form of food you like.

Saving money may not be the major goal in preserving food at home. You might find the effort and expense worth the value of creating your own food supply, supporting local farmers in your community or passing along family traditions.

By Elizabeth Andress
University of Georgia

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page

Bird Proof Your Home for Spring

(ARA) - Spring is a busy time for birds. Warmer temperatures increase food sources, and birds are on the look out for new nesting spots and mates. Whether they are returning from a winter migration or are resident birds weary from a long winter haul, they have a lot of work to be done before autumn.

Birds are in survival mode in the spring. In order to get through the next winter, they will be searching for spots that provide the elements needed to survive. Most homes and gardens provide the three elements necessary for a birds’ survival: food, water and shelter.

Whether you anticipate birds returning to your home, or are dealing with a pest bird problem now, addressing these three elements will make it easy to bird proof a home for the spring. Taking away food or water sources, and blocking off ideal nesting spots like dryer vents and eaves will help send pest birds packing.

Doing a quick check around the home in the beginning stages of spring can mean the difference between successfully deterring pest birds or not. Have you had a recurring problem with nesting birds? If yes, treating these spots with deterrents before the birds return will yield better results than waiting until they have come back. Once they begin to build a nest, birds will be more persistent about keeping the spot.

Common places pest birds like to nest include:
* Dryer vents
* Eaves
* Open attics
* Garages, barns or boathouses
* Under roof tiles
* Under air-condition units

Checking these areas for nesting materials will clue you in as to whether this may be a problem spot. Birds like to nest high, so check beams, ledges and rafters. If there are nesting materials, a cleanup is essential. Bird droppings and nests can host disease and parasites. A good cleaning will not only protect you and your family, but also eliminate scents that help a bird identify their old nest.

There are many different bird deterrents available in today’s market that can be used for a wide variety of problems. Bird deterrents usually fit into four categories;

Visual Bird Deterrents

Visual deterrents are meant to be seen by birds, to frighten or scare them away from open areas. Visual deterrents will have shiny reflective surfaces or mock predator features. Visual bird deterrents include Mylar flash tape, scare eye diverters and balloons. There are also decoys like owls available. These items work best when hung right in front of a problem area. When the bird fly’s towards the spot, they will see the visual deterrents and get confused or frightened, and want to avoid the area.

Sound Deterrents for Birds

Sound deterrents use recorded bird calls to deter pest birds from large open spaces. A mixture of predator calls and distress calls can be used to alert birds in the surrounding area of danger. Most sound deterrents are weatherproof and designed for outdoor use. These are ideal to use when you have a large open space to treat. Sound deterrents include the Bird Chase Super Sonic.

Physical Bird Deterrents

Physical deterrents are used to block or prevent birds from gaining access to the area they desire. Physical deterrents include bird netting and ledge products like the Bird Spike 2000. Bird netting is installed as a screen to block birds from entering areas. Bird spikes, bird slopes and bird deterrent gel are all used on ledges to prevent birds from landing.

Liquid Bird Repellents

There are also a few liquid repellents used for discouraging birds. Pest control companies can work with fogging machines, or misting units to deter birds from large open spaces.
A non-toxic grape extract that irritates a bird’s mucous membranes is used in these two types of devices. If you have a large tree in your backyard where hundreds of birds were congregating, it’s best to call out a pest control company to fog or mist the tree to repel the birds. The grape extract is safe for both birds, and humans.

There are also live bird traps, and a few other types of bird deterrents available. Knowing what type of bird you are having a problem with, and considering the area that is being affected will help in choosing the best product for the situation. Contacting a bird control company like Absolute Bird Control or Bird-B-Gone can also help ensure that you have chosen the right method.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

-----
www.fayettefrontpage.com
Fayette Front Page
www.georgiafrontpage.com
Georgia Front Page